Late Life Jazz

The Life and Career of Rosemary Clooney

Ken Crossland and Malcolm Macfarlane

The first published work to examine the jazz career of Rosemary Clooney

Examines in detail the way in which Clooney changed and adapted her singing style, moving from a singer of trite ditties to a peerless interpreter of the Great American Songbook

Draws on contemporary sources, including newspaper and trade articles and reviews, supplemented by interviews with family members, managers and promoters, and the jazz musicians who worked with her

Late Life Jazz

The Life and Career of Rosemary Clooney

Ken Crossland and Malcolm Macfarlane

Description

When people hear the name "Clooney," they automatically think of George Clooney, one of Hollywood's biggest stars. But it was his aunt Rosemary who first catapulted the name into bright lights with a string of hit songs in the 1950s and a starring role alongside Bing Crosby in the immortal "White Christmas."

Drawing on interviews with family members, managers, promoters, and the jazz musicians who worked with her, as well as contemporary newspaper articles and reviews, Late Life Jazz tells the unsung story of one of America's finest singers, Rosemary Clooney. Ken Crossland and Malcolm Macfarlane trace Rosemary's life from her hardscrabble beginnings in Maysville Kentucky, through her first performances singing with the Barney Rapp Band in Cincinnati,
through her rise to pop stardom in the early 1950s when she topped the Hit Parade with songs such as "Come On-a My House," "Tenderly," and "Half As Much." By the time the 1960s arrived, however, personal turmoil, fueled by depression and an addiction to prescription medication, almost destroyed Clooney's career-and her life. She underwent years of therapy and recuperation before she was able to perform again in the early 1970s. Few expected her to be anything more than a baroness of nostalgia, but Rosemary had other ideas. Rejuvenated by a series of concerts alongside her friend and mentor, Bing Crosby, she found a new medium in the midst of America's finest jazz musicians, building a second career and with it a reputation as one of the finest interpreters of the Great American Songbook.

Vividly written and painstakingly researched, Late Life Jazz explores the rise, fall, and final triumph of Clooney the First, Aunt Rosemary, jazz singer par excellence.

Late Life Jazz

The Life and Career of Rosemary Clooney

Ken Crossland and Malcolm Macfarlane

Table of Contents

Contents

Foreword Introduction 1. Kentucky, Sure As You're Born 2. The Clooney Sisters 3. Come-On a My House 4. "A Dame Called Rosemary Clooney" 5. A Home in the Hills 6. Blue Rose 7. Fancy Meeting You Here 8. Solving the Riddle 9. Road to Reno 10. "All of us, a little nuts" 11. Back with Der Bingle 12. 4 Girls 4 13. All That Jazz 14. Rainbow and Stars 15. Get Me to the Church on Time 16. When October goes Appendix A - Rosemary Clooney on Record Appendix B - Rosemary Clooney on Television Appendix C - Rosemary Clooney: A Selective
Chronology Acknowledgements Bibliography Index

Late Life Jazz

The Life and Career of Rosemary Clooney

Ken Crossland and Malcolm Macfarlane

Author Information

Ken Crossland and Malcolm Macfarlane have worked together in the International Club Crosby for over 20 years. Ken Crossland is the author of Man Who Would Be Bing: The Life Story of Michael Holliday. Malcolm Macfarlane is the author of Bing Crosby: Day by Day. They are co-authors of Perry Como: A Biography and Complete Career Record.

Late Life Jazz

The Life and Career of Rosemary Clooney

Ken Crossland and Malcolm Macfarlane

Reviews and Awards

Winner, Certificate of Merit for Best Historical Research in Recorded Popular Music, Association of Recorded Sound Collections

Late Life Jazz

The Life and Career of Rosemary Clooney

Ken Crossland and Malcolm Macfarlane

From Our Blog

By Ken Crossland
The story of Rosemary's Clooney's rise, fall, and rise again to the summit of American music is a story unparalleled in American showbiz history. From her emergence at the archetypal girl-next-door in the Fifties, through to her late life renaissance as an interpreter par excellence of jazz and popular song, Clooney's 57-year career scaled all the heights.